Jean Marie (L) and Marine Le Pen
Jean Marie (L) and Marine Le PenReuters

National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, 86, fired back Tuesday at his daughter, party leader Marine Le Pen, 46, after she suspended him from the far-right French movement, saying he hopes she loses the 2017 presidential election and opining that it would be "scandalous" if she were to become head of state.

In an interview with Europe 1 radio station broadcast on Tuesday, he said: "I was hoping that the president of the National Front would get married as quickly as possible so as to change her name. Because I'm ashamed that she has the same surname as me."

Asked if he would still be supporting his daughter in the presidential elections, Le Pen answered: "Not for the moment."

The party's executive committee, chaired by Marine, suspended Le Pen père's membership on Monday and announced that it would strip him of his title of honorary chairman after he repeated his view that Nazi gas chambers were a mere "detail" of World War 2

Jean-Marie announced three weeks ago he is pulling out of a regional election race following harsh criticism from Marine, who has led FN since 2011.

The elder Le Pen confirmed that he would not be representing FN in France's Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. The daughter, meanwhile, said her father's status as honorary president of FN "does not give him the right to hijack the National Front with vulgar provocations, seemingly designed to damage me, but which unfortunately hit the whole movement."